Before her sophomore year at Marian Catholic, Ashton Millender stopped spending so much time in the lanes — at McDonald's and Wendy's.

Millender's eating habits caused her game to suffer and become perimeter-based.

"Ashton was a little cutie pie back then," Marian Catholic coach Annie Byrne said. "She had to trim down and lose that baby fat, so she went out for the cross-country team. Basketball players hate to run, but she had to do it to help her for basketball and let her game develop."

Millender's favorite indulgence was the Baconator. She called the first few days of cross-country practice a shock to her system.

"It was terrible and I wanted to quit after the first practice," Millender said. "I wasn't used to running that much, but it helped me. I even ran in a lot of meets and started doing pretty good."

"You could tell Ashton was not comfortable with her body," her father, Alan Coby Millender, said. "Her shooting was good, but she had to get better for the varsity level. You can see now that the hard work paid off with the accolades that she's getting with performing well."

Millender, a 5-foot-10 junior shooting guard, is the Tribune/WGN-Ch.9 Preps Plus Athlete of the Month for March. She led the Spartans in scoring for the second straight year and averaged 20.5 points in two Class 4A state games. The Spartans capped their season with 20 consecutive victories, the last a 48-47 win against Rolling Meadows in the Class 4A state final March 2, the program's first state championship.

"It still hasn't kicked in that we won state; maybe when we get our rings," Millender said. "I think we all bonded as a team in the summer and we all knew our roles."

Millender, a 2013 Tribune All-State second-team selection, displayed a penchant for hitting big shots in big games. Her shot from near halfcourt at the buzzer against Marist in a sectional final extended the Spartans' season.

"I was just trying to get the shot off," Millender said. "The whole season our team practices that (halfcourt) shot in competitions during water breaks to see who can hit it first. I only won twice. I also do it with my father and little brother."

Two games later, against Young, Millender had one of the most memorable all-around performances at state. She harassed McDonald's All-American Linnae Harper into 3-for-19 shooting and nine points. Millender flaunted her offensive game as well, hitting off-balanced jumpers, runners in the lane, a left-handed scoop shot at the halftime buzzer and two 3-pointers for a career-high 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting in a 63-39 state semifinal win.

"I just tried to keep (Harper) in front of me and play containment," Millender said. "I started feeling it in the first quarter and knew I was on a roll with the buzzer-beater."

Millender, though, must rely on memory recall to summon up images of her superb effort against Young. She has yet to view the game footage.

"I'm dying to see the game," Millender said. "We ordered it, but it hasn't come in."

The Spartans, with the backcourt tandem of Millender and highly regarded sophomore point guard Teniya Page returning, should be in contention for a second straight state title next season. Millender currently is focused on picking a college after narrowing her list down to Marquette, DePaul and Illinois State.

"I think Ashton's best days are ahead of her," Byrne said. "I'm glad we get her back for next year. She works extremely hard and I think she's going to be even better next season."